Open+Ocean

=// Christine Mai & Jannette Nguyen //=



Description
The Open Ocean biome is a large area that includes all oceans excluding the coastal waters and the sea floors. It is also sometimes called the Pelagic Zone. It covers the tropics to the Polar Regions and extends from the abyssal depths of the sea to the very surface of it. It consists of the epipelagic zone (sea surface to 200 meters under), the mesopelagic zone (underneath epipelagic zone) which extends 1,000 meters, the bathypelagic zone (1,000 and 4,000 meters), the abyssalpelagic zone which extends 6,000 meter, and the hadalpelagic zone (area deeper than 6,000 meters and is found in deep-sea trenches).



Flora
The main plant species found in the Open Ocean would be seaweed, algae, and plankton. Since only the very top of the ocean receives sunlight efficient for photosynthesis, most fauna live in that area. Phytoplankton is known to float around the ocean’s waters and, along with algae and seaweed, are the producers in the food chain.

Fauna
Since light can cut go through only 650 feet into the ocean, most of the ocean’s fauna live towards the upper zone. The fish typically fall into two categories: coastal or oceanic fish depending on the area the live in.
 * Coastal fish typically go down to about 655 feet deep and examples would be anchovies, sardines, shad, and menhaden.
 *  The oceanic fish live in areas below the continental shelf and include swordfish, tuna, mackerel, and sharks.
 * At the very bottom: Organisms that can produce their own light and have large and sharp enough teeth. Also since there are few producers [[image:kerrapes/IMG_0022.jpg width="356" height="261" align="right"]]down there, predators typically rely on fallen dead animal bodies to eat. An example of an animal living there would be giant squid.
 * 1) Epipelagic Zone would consist of most types of marine life.
 * 2)  Mesopelagic Zone include those with sharp teeth and large jaws and stomachs such as big-scale fish, ctenophores (relatives of jellyfish), firefly squids, hatchet fish, and dragonfish.
 * 3) In the Bathypelagic Zone (where there is little light), fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and jellyfish, and sperm whales are common.
 * 4) Abyssopelagic Zone (the deepest depths of the open ocean), lie deep-water squids, and octopus, basket stars, seapigs, and seaspiders.

Temperature and Precipitation




Human Interactions:
Humans alter the open ocean and have a huge impact on it. Human activities could potentially threaten its ecosystem and the ocean is one of the most important biomes because it's the biggest and most diverse. Activities include the following:
 * Oil spilling
 * Fishing
 * Pollution from shipping[[image:kerrapes/37076_529660793733702_1098334515_n.jpg width="399" height="271" align="right"]]
 * Coastal development
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Littering



Bibliography:

 * //"The Ocean Biome." - Windows to the Universe. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.<http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/marine_ecology.html>.//
 * //"Ocean Biome." Animal Facts and Information. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.<http://bioexpedition.com/ocean-biome/>.//
 * //"The Open Ocean." The Open Ocean. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <http://marinebio.org/oceans/open-ocean/>.//
 * //"Biome - Major Biomes And Their Characteristics, Freshwater Biomes - Terrestrial Biomes, Marine Biomes, Human-dominated Biomes." - Species, Forest, Water, and Ecosystems. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. []>.//
 * //"Open Ocean Biome." Education Portal. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/open-ocean-biome-plants-animals-climate- definition.html#lesson>.//
 * //"The Open Ocean." The Open Ocean. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <@http://marinebio.org/oceans/open-ocean/>.//
 * //"Major Facts About the Open Ocean Ecosystem | The Classroom | Synonym." The Classroom. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <@http://classroom.synonym.com/major-open-ocean-ecosystem-5924.html>.//
 * //"Cold Seawater Air Conditioning | Makai Ocean Engineering." Makai Ocean Engineering. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <@http://www.makai.com/pipelines/ac-pipelines/>.//
 * //"Ocean Water: Temperature." Oceanography. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. <@http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/water/temp3.htm><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. //
 * //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Ea O Ka Aina." : Life in Oceans Threatened<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. < @http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2012/03/life-in-oceans-threatened.html >. //